Esther Kreitman
Encyclopedia
Hinde Ester Singer Kreytman (31 March 1891 – 13 June 1954), known in English as Esther Kreitman, was a Yiddish-language novelist and short story
writer. She was born in Biłgoraj, Poland
to a rabbinic Jewish family. Her younger brothers Israel Joshua Singer
and Isaac Bashevis Singer
also became writers.
Kreitman had an unhappy childhood. According to her son, her mother gave her to an uncaring wet nurse
for the first three years, who left her under a dusty table where she was visited once a week by her mother, who did not touch her. Later, as a highly gifted child, she had to watch her younger brothers being taught, while she was relegated to menial household duties. Kreitman's first novel includes numerous scenes depicting the main female character's desires for education: scenes in which she waits with great anticipation for the bookseller to arrive in their town, dreams of becoming a scholar, and hides a Russian
text-book from the male members of her family so that they won't find out she is studying in secret. It is likely that these incidents reflect Kreitman's own story.
In 1912 she agreed to an arranged marriage
, and went to live with her husband, a diamond cutter, to Antwerp, Belgium
. The events surrounding this marriage are both described by her in Deborah and by Isaac Bashevis Singer in his autobiographical collection In my Father's Court.
In Antwerp her son, Morris Kreitman, was born. (He later was known by his journalistic pen name, Maurice Carr, and his novelistic pen name, Martin Lea.) The outbreak of World War I forced the family to flee to London, where Kreitman lived for the rest of her life, except for two long return visits to Poland.
Her marriage was not happy. She and her husband both worked in menial jobs, and she translated classic English works into Yiddish to earn extra money. Although she had been the first in the family to write, she published relatively late in life, her first novel Der Sheydims Tants (Dance of the Demons) appearing in Poland in 1936. It was translated by her son in 1946 as Deborah. Her second novel, Brilyantn (Diamonds) was published in 1944, and her book of short stories, Yikhes (Lineage) was published in 1949. Many of her works deal with the status of women, particularly intellectual women, among Ashkenazi Jews
. Other works explore class relationships, and her short stories include several set in London during The Blitz
, which she experienced.
After World War II Kreitman attempted to contact her mother and a third brother, Moyshe, who had become a village-rabbi in Poland and had fled to the Soviet Union with their mother and his wife; their father had died before the war. Although she received two postcards from southern Kazakhstan
, in the town of Dzhambul, (today Taraz
), no further communication was forthcoming. Forced evacuation of Jewish refugees to Central Asia under extremely harsh conditions was relatively common in the Soviet Union during World War II, and both are reported to have perished in 1946. Her other brother Israel Joshua Singer had died in New York in 1944, but her remaining sibling, Isaac Bashevis Singer, came to visit her in London in 1947.
Her relationship with her brothers had always been complex. Her son tells about how she constantly told him stories about her brothers - until mother and son went to visit them Poland in 1936 when she felt rejected by both and never talked about them again. This feeling of rejection must have been aggravated when Isaac Bashevis Singer refused to help her immigrate to the United States after 1947. He also did not answer letters and failed to send money, although - then far from being the famous and well-to-do writer he would become in his old age - he was comparably secure and Kreitman and her family were in great need.
Kreitman's two brothers are not known to have encouraged or helped her as an author. Her books were never reviewed in Yiddish daily The Forward
, for which they both worked. But the deep impression her personality made on both of them is reflected in their work. In Israel Joshua Singer's "Yoshe Kalb" an unhappy and unstable seductress appears to be modeled on Kreitman, and Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Satan in Goraj" includes an innocent girl who is crushed by circumstance, who carries Kreitman's features and particularities. (Esther Kreitman suffered either from epilepsy or another physical or mental condition with similar symptoms, and was later in life diagnosed as paranoid). I. B. himself stated that his sister was the model for his fictional "Yentl", a woman from a traditional background who wishes to study Jewish texts. He considered Esther Kreitman the "best female Yiddish writer" he knew, but difficult to get along with. "Who can live with a volcano?" (Hadda, p. 137). And he dedicated the volume of his collected short stories The Seance (New York, 1968) "To the memory of my beloved sister".
Kreitman died in 1954 in London. Since her death her works have been translated into French, German, Dutch and Spanish. Almost her entire small output is now available in English translation.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer. She was born in Biłgoraj, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to a rabbinic Jewish family. Her younger brothers Israel Joshua Singer
Israel Joshua Singer
Israel Joshua Singer was a Yiddish novelist. He was born Yisroel Yehoyshue Zinger, the son of Pinchas Mendl Zinger, a rabbi and author of rabbinic commentaries, and Basheva Zylberman...
and Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
also became writers.
Kreitman had an unhappy childhood. According to her son, her mother gave her to an uncaring wet nurse
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
for the first three years, who left her under a dusty table where she was visited once a week by her mother, who did not touch her. Later, as a highly gifted child, she had to watch her younger brothers being taught, while she was relegated to menial household duties. Kreitman's first novel includes numerous scenes depicting the main female character's desires for education: scenes in which she waits with great anticipation for the bookseller to arrive in their town, dreams of becoming a scholar, and hides a Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
text-book from the male members of her family so that they won't find out she is studying in secret. It is likely that these incidents reflect Kreitman's own story.
In 1912 she agreed to an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
, and went to live with her husband, a diamond cutter, to Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The events surrounding this marriage are both described by her in Deborah and by Isaac Bashevis Singer in his autobiographical collection In my Father's Court.
In Antwerp her son, Morris Kreitman, was born. (He later was known by his journalistic pen name, Maurice Carr, and his novelistic pen name, Martin Lea.) The outbreak of World War I forced the family to flee to London, where Kreitman lived for the rest of her life, except for two long return visits to Poland.
Her marriage was not happy. She and her husband both worked in menial jobs, and she translated classic English works into Yiddish to earn extra money. Although she had been the first in the family to write, she published relatively late in life, her first novel Der Sheydims Tants (Dance of the Demons) appearing in Poland in 1936. It was translated by her son in 1946 as Deborah. Her second novel, Brilyantn (Diamonds) was published in 1944, and her book of short stories, Yikhes (Lineage) was published in 1949. Many of her works deal with the status of women, particularly intellectual women, among Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
. Other works explore class relationships, and her short stories include several set in London during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, which she experienced.
After World War II Kreitman attempted to contact her mother and a third brother, Moyshe, who had become a village-rabbi in Poland and had fled to the Soviet Union with their mother and his wife; their father had died before the war. Although she received two postcards from southern Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, in the town of Dzhambul, (today Taraz
Taraz
Taraz , is a city and a center of the Jambyl Province in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, on the Talas River...
), no further communication was forthcoming. Forced evacuation of Jewish refugees to Central Asia under extremely harsh conditions was relatively common in the Soviet Union during World War II, and both are reported to have perished in 1946. Her other brother Israel Joshua Singer had died in New York in 1944, but her remaining sibling, Isaac Bashevis Singer, came to visit her in London in 1947.
Her relationship with her brothers had always been complex. Her son tells about how she constantly told him stories about her brothers - until mother and son went to visit them Poland in 1936 when she felt rejected by both and never talked about them again. This feeling of rejection must have been aggravated when Isaac Bashevis Singer refused to help her immigrate to the United States after 1947. He also did not answer letters and failed to send money, although - then far from being the famous and well-to-do writer he would become in his old age - he was comparably secure and Kreitman and her family were in great need.
Kreitman's two brothers are not known to have encouraged or helped her as an author. Her books were never reviewed in Yiddish daily The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, for which they both worked. But the deep impression her personality made on both of them is reflected in their work. In Israel Joshua Singer's "Yoshe Kalb" an unhappy and unstable seductress appears to be modeled on Kreitman, and Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Satan in Goraj" includes an innocent girl who is crushed by circumstance, who carries Kreitman's features and particularities. (Esther Kreitman suffered either from epilepsy or another physical or mental condition with similar symptoms, and was later in life diagnosed as paranoid). I. B. himself stated that his sister was the model for his fictional "Yentl", a woman from a traditional background who wishes to study Jewish texts. He considered Esther Kreitman the "best female Yiddish writer" he knew, but difficult to get along with. "Who can live with a volcano?" (Hadda, p. 137). And he dedicated the volume of his collected short stories The Seance (New York, 1968) "To the memory of my beloved sister".
Kreitman died in 1954 in London. Since her death her works have been translated into French, German, Dutch and Spanish. Almost her entire small output is now available in English translation.
Works by Esther Kreitman in Yiddish and English
- Der Sheydim-Tants (Warsaw: Brzoza, 1936); translated by Maurice Carr as Deborah (London: W. and G. Foyle, 1946; republished London: Virago, 1983, New York: St. Martins Press, 1983, London: David Paul, Aug 13 2004, ISBN 978-0954054274, and New York: Feminist Press, May 1 2009 ISBN 978-1558615953). Reviewed in The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
(14 January 1985) : 117-118.
- Brilyantn (London: W. and G. Foyle, 1944); translated by Heather Valencia as Diamonds (London: David Paul, Oct 15 2009, ISBN 978-0954848200).
- Yikhes (London: Narod Press, 1949); translated by Dorothee van Tendeloo as Blitz and Other Stories (London: David Paul, March 1 2004 ISBN 978-0954054250).